I've taken my TOEFL two years and a couple of months ago, so that my results are officially out-of-date. Besides scoring a nice 113, I spent these two last years doing a master degree in Japan, but with courses and research done in English with international faculties. Didn't feel like spending $200+ on a new test, so when applying for PhD I just sent the online copy of my out-of-date TOEFL results. Question: have you heard of people proceeding likewise? Is that a big problem, or is it something the committee will be willing to overlook?

I have no experience in this, but it sounds like a bad idea to assume this would be ok. At the very least, I'd be sure to contact someone in the department and ask, and really I'd just re-take the exam to be sure. The TOEFL requirement is often one mandated by the Dean of Graduate Studies, not the department; it's often bureaucratic paperwork to establish a minimum proficiency for teaching assignments. And the thing about bureaucracy is that it's often inflexible.